Aling Lucing's is the originator, the source, the place where sisig was invented. Lucia Cunanan developed the dish in the 1970s at her small stall along Mabini Street in Angeles City, using pig's head offcuts — the ears, snout, and face — boiled, grilled, and chopped fine, then seasoned with calamansi juice and siling labuyo chili and served sizzling on a hot iron plate. The version she served has been tweaked and imitated by restaurants across the Philippines and beyond, but the original is still here.
The restaurant itself is unpretentious — plastic tables, loud, excellent beer. The menu has expanded but sisig remains the reason to come. Order it crispy, have it with rice and a cold San Miguel, and understand why Pampanga considers itself the culinary capital of the Philippines. The stall operates out of the Mabini Street location that Aling Lucing originally set up, though she passed away in 2008.